Olga Shishuk: “I Still Have a Rest Working 24/7”

We continue our series of interviews. Today we talk with the person who communicates with our clients most of all and can answer almost any question about our modules. We present Olga – BelVG support manager.

Olga is 24 years old. She graduated from Belorussian State Economic University and began to work in BelVG half a year ago. Olga always come to work in a good mood and cannot live a day without a book. Believes that every former job was a small step to the current work.

How long does your working day last? Does the support work 24/7?

While developers work on weekdays only, the support is always online. We respond to customers on weekdays, at night and on weekends too.

How many people work in BelVG support?

There are support developer, modules developers and me.

How many applications do you receive in a day?

I guess, we have about 20 of them, sometimes more. Basically, they include questions about our modules, their functions, opportunities and so on.

How quickly do you respond to requests and do you have live support?

We try to answer emails within half an hour and within a few hours when we are out of work. In Skype and Google Talk we answer immediately. We don’t have live support yet, but we plan to arrange it. Perhaps, we will organize it after New Year holidays.

How difficult is the work in a live support service? Are there any pitfalls?

I think, it may be quite difficult. Very often several clients try to reach us with their urgent enquires simultaneously. When support employee communicates with one person, another applicant has to wait, which is not a good record for a live support service.

How does the work of support look like? The person filled out the contact form and submitted it. What happens next?

It all depends on the problem. If it is a question about modules, we respond immediately. If it is an irregular question, we forward it to the developer and after receiving his response we answer to the client. When clients have problems with their websites, we offer solutions right away if the error is typical, or send it to the developer if the problem is extraordinary. Most cases are solved within one day. Irregular questions take more time, but we communicate with the client constantly and always keep him updated on our progress.

Does it occur when some customers misapply support?

Sometimes it happens. Some customers have non-standard templates or have too many third-party modules installed. In this case our extensions may not work as customers would like them to. Also it is common for clients to ask adding extra functions to our modules. We offer all these opportunities as customization service, but some customers want to get it for free. In any situation we try to find a compromise with every client and offer the best solution.

What is the most typical problem that you are referred to?

The most common issue is module installation. Not everybody understands that it is not enough to buy module – it also must be installed correctly. For every module we have written detailed installation and configuration guide. Often third-party developers install our modules and, thus, problems occur. We offer a special Professional Installation service. Our developers will install any module in one day and it will work for sure.

What qualities and skills should a person in support exercise?

I would name communication skills, responsibility, stress resistance, the ability to copy with unusual situations with no perplexity.

One joking question. Do you have time for sleep?

Sometimes I do. To be honest, I still have a rest and activities outside my work while supporting customers even at night time.

What positive moments do you appreciate in your work?

My work gives me a chance to communicate with different people and to work in highly-professional team, get acquainted with IT industry better.

What is the customers’ attitude towards BelVG support? Do you have more positive references comparing to negatives ones?

We have a lot of happy customers and we try to do everything possible to keep them satisfied. Unfortunately, from time to time we have so many requests that customers don’t get answers as quickly as they expect. However, we do our best to resolve all issues instantly. Such situations are not the most pleasant ones, but finally all our clients get good results.

What would you advise clients before contacting the support service?

I would recommend our customers not to do everything under the wire and not to create deadlines by themselves. Before contacting the support, please, carefully read module descriptions and guides (you can find them on our website and in the letter with module). Provide us with all necessary information about your problem and send us ftp and admin access to your website. Without these steps the process of ticket solving may be delayed.

What are your plans for the future?

We are a young and growing department, which try to be better and guarantee the high level of our developers, products and services. We are always open to your suggestions and will be glad to know your opinion.

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